Repetition or Creative Learning?
Phonics? Drill to tears? Or a magical toolbox that opens up a world of discovery for our creative kiddos?
I’ve had a few questions recently about Orton-Gillingham so I wanted to address the differences between the OG system and the Davis Method.
The Orton-Gillingham system is phonics-based. The process is long and laborious, teaching and drilling the sounds of phonograms, rules of decoding and encoding, and intense repetition. Susan Barton, developer of Barton Reading Systems (an Orton-based program), says “It will take from 18 to 36 months of twice-a-week, one-on-one Orton-Gillingham-based tutoring to bring your child’s reading, spelling, and writing skills up to grade level.”
OG focuses on fixing the deficit of the dyslexic student and over a long time, the student can show progress.
The Davis Method is different because we work with the dyslexic student’s natural strength of thinking in pictures. We create meaning for tricky “sight words” so students can master them and not get tripped up all the time. (Examples of these tricky words: the, said, have, was, of, with, this, etc)
We call these trigger words because they trigger disorientations that cause confusion (and sometimes tears.)
Davis Facilitators create a solid foundation for focus (through games and physical movement) and then we give students learning tools that empower them to fix the confusion that they have been dealing with for months or years!
Because our method works with the strengths of the student, the change happens quickly! Often, the client sees a growth in reading of 2 or more grade levels in just 30 hours! It’s incredible!
